Defender Mai Sy Hoang and his mark at Song Lam Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - Mai Sy Hoang has made a strong impression at Song Lam Nghe An in the past season. With his own qualities, this defender is expected to become one of the new pillars of this team.
Contribute to relieving pressure for the whole team
After the first 7 rounds of V.League 2023/2024,Lam River Nghe Anfall into the group at risk of relegation. The Nghe team only got 6 points and temporarily ranked 11th. Therefore, the match with the host Khanh Hoa in round 8 is very important, directly affecting the chance of winning a ticket to stay in the league this season of coach Phan Nhu Thuat and his team.
And in fact, Song Lam Nghe An had a lot of difficulty approaching Khanh Hoa's goal. It wasn't until the 82nd minute that Mai Sy Hoang brought home the only goal of the match, thereby helping Song Lam Nghe An rise to 10th place on the V.League 2023/2024 rankings.

In this match, Mai Sy Hoang, as usual, was arranged by coach Phan Nhu Thuat to play in the left-back position. The player born in 1999 not only completed his defensive duties well but also often participated in the attack effectively. Observing Mai Sy Hoang's playing style, it can be seen that this is a fairly comprehensive left-back model. In addition to basic personal technical foundation, fast acceleration and effective one-on-one competition, the former U23 Vietnam player also possesses the ability to cross the ball with high accuracy.
Not only that, in this year's season, coach Phan Nhu Thuat also required Mai Sy Hoang to regularly penetrate deep into the opponent's penalty area to create diversity in the home team's attacking play. That created attacks that surprised Khanh Hoa's defense. In the 82nd minute, Mai Sy Hoang penetrated the penalty area of the home team 19/8 Nha Trang. From a strong throw-in, the ball bounced towards the second post, the defender from Dien Chau was there at the right time, volleyed his left foot to the near corner, defeated goalkeeper Ngoc Cuong, bringing home the only goal to help Song Lam Nghe An win 3 valuable points against Khanh Hoa.
After the match, Mai Sy Hoang could not hide his happiness: “I am very happy to score a goal against the home team Khanh Hoa, thereby helping Song Lam Nghe An win all 3 points. I think I have contributed a small part to relieve some of the pressure on the whole team. The goal will also help me play confidently, aiming to achieve higher performance in the remaining stages of this year's season.”
The defender wearing the number 23 shirt added: “Looking back at the past match, it can be seen that in the first 45 minutes, Song Lam Nghe An faced many difficulties against Khanh Hoa. During the break between the two halves, coach Phan Nhu Thuat asked us to play with more determination, more cohesion and to make better use of the opportunities we had. In my opinion, that is also the key to helping the home team win against a direct competitor for the ticket to stay in the V.League 2023/2024”.
Become a pillar in Song Lam Nghe An?
During the 2023/2024 season, Song Lam Nghe An suffered a heavy loss when Ho Khac Luong had to take a long-term leave due to a torn ligament. To strengthen the defense, coach Phan Nhu Thuat was forced to bring in wing-back Tran Dinh Hoang to play as a central defender. In addition, Trong Hoang was also unable to play due to injury. Therefore, Mai Sy Hoang is expected to soon become one of the pillars of the Nghe An team, filling the void left by his seniors.

The number of 568 minutes of official playing time since the beginning of the season has shown the importance of Mai Sy Hoang at Song Lam Nghe An at this time. Notably, in addition to the goal scored in the match against Khanh Hoa, the player born in 1999 also scored another goal in the match against Quang Nam in round 4 of V.League 2023/2024. In this match, Mai Sy Hoang's goal came in the 51st minute of the match when he received the ball from outside the penalty area, performed a technical turn before shooting with his right foot, causing the ball to fly in an arc, hitting the net of Quang Nam. It can be said that this is a goal that meets all the factors such as technical quality, sensitivity in choosing a position and perfect shooting with the weaker foot.
Thus, after 8 rounds, Mai Sy Hoang has contributed 2 goals for Song Lam Nghe An. And above all, Sy Hoang has also carried out the tactical plan built by coach Phan Nhu Thuat very well. In the 3-5-2 formation of Song Lam Nghe An, the role of the full-back is extremely important. Not only defending, but the player must also know how to support the attack. Looking at Sy Hoang's performance, it can be seen that this defender has fulfilled the requirements set by the Coaching Board of Song Lam Nghe An; at the same time, he has affirmed his role and gradually become a pillar of the Nghe An team.
The tactical scheme of the head coach of Song Lam Nghe An requires the wingers to have good ability to attack and defend. I need to improve my physical strength to be able to better meet the expectations of the coaching staff, helping Song Lam Nghe An overcome the challenges ahead.